Mission Olympic Cell approves support for taekwondo and karate athletes

Mission Olympic Cell has approved Rs 1.70 crore support for taekwondo and karate athletes, including Rodali Barua, Rupa Bayor, Bhuvneshwari Jadhav and Alisha, for international competitions and training ahead of Asian Games 2026. Other athletes like Neeraj Chopra also benefit

Hyderabad: In a push to strengthen India’s combat sports pipeline, the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) has approved customised international exposure and coaching support for athletes in taekwondo and karate ahead of the Asian Games 2026.

In taekwondo, Rodali Barua has been cleared for participation in five international competitions — Bulgaria Open 2026, Slovenia Open 2026, Dutch Open 2026, Oceania Championships 2026 — all G2 level events recognised by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF). She will also compete in the 4th Mount Everest International Open Taekwondo Championship, Nepal 2026, a G1 level tournament.

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The Target Asian Games Group (TAGG) recommended financial support of Rs 21.20 lakh for Barua’s participation. The events are scheduled in February and March. Barua had earlier won bronze at the President’s Cup, Oceania Region, Gold Coast, in 2025.

Meanwhile, taekwondo athlete Rupa Bayor has been supported under the TAGG scheme for physiotherapy, masseur, and strength and conditioning (S&C) programme for nine months until September 2026. She is currently ranked 6th in the world and 1st in Asia. The recommendations ensure consistent tactical and technical support during the competition cycle.

In karate, MOC has approved support for Bhuvneshwari Jadhav to participate in three international competitions along with a structured training programme. The events are scheduled in Rome (March 11–16, 2026), China (April 8–13, 2026), and Spain (April 22–27, 2026). She will also train under foreign coach Sulaymon Sharifovich in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in March. The total financial assistance is Rs 20.12 lakh, which includes support for her coach Keerthan Kondru and a sparring partner.

Financial assistance has also been sanctioned for karate athlete Alisha and her coach Vikas for two competitions — Rome (March 11–16, 2026) and China (April 8–13, 2026). The recommended amount is Rs 5.94 lakh. Both Bhuvneshwari and Alisha won bronze medals at the 2025 Asian Championship in Uzbekistan.

The recommendations for taekwondo and karate were part of the deliberations during the 168th MOC meeting, where athlete-specific proposals were assessed based on recent performances, future potential and international competitiveness. Multiple athlete proposals were accepted for an overall Rs 1.70 crore.

Other proposals included financial assistance for squash player Anahat Singh’s strength and conditioning coach, extension of Neeraj Chopra’s off-season training camp till April 2026 in Pretoria, and foreign exposure camps for para-athletes Varun Bhati and Sandeep Chaudhary.